From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   Researcher says gratitude may be a key to happiness   
      
   Nov 04, Psychology & Psychiatry   
      
   'Tis the season to be grateful. And being grateful for what you have may be   
   the key to happiness, according to research by a UT professor.   
   Jeff Larsen, associate professor of psychology, investigated whether the maxim   
   "it's more important to want what you have than to have what you want" is   
   true.    
      
   He asked college students if they possessed fifty-two different material   
   items, such as a car, a stereo, or a bed. They were then asked to rate how   
   much they wanted the items they had and how much they wanted the items they   
   didn't have. Larsen calculated    
   the extent to which the students want what they have and have what they want.    
      
   The result? People who want more of what they have tend to be happier than   
   those who have less of what they want.    
      
   "Simply having a bunch of things is not the key to happiness," he said. "Our   
   data show that you also need to appreciate those things you have. It's also   
   important to keep your desire for things you don't own in check."    
      
   So how can you be grateful for what you have? Larsen offers these tips:    
      
   Don't avoid people who have less. Try volunteering at a shelter or food bank   
   during the holidays.   
   Actively pay attention to and savor your things. Research shows that indulging   
   in life's pleasures in smaller doses, or even giving them up for stretches of   
   time as Christians do over Lent, helps us enjoy them significantly more.   
   When given the choice, invest in experiences rather than possessions. Research   
   shows that experiences make us happier than possessions.   
   When all else fails, avoid exposure to better things. "Although, this can be   
   very difficult when cell phone companies roll out new phones every six   
   months," said Larsen.   
   More information: The study is published in Psychological Science and can be   
   viewed at bit.ly/1DXoPj7   
   Provided by University of Tennessee at Knoxville   
      
      
      
   http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2014-11-gratitude-key-happiness.   
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)